When Workplace Cultures Support Paternity Leave, All Employees Benefit

Executive Summary

A longitudinal research study out of Scotland sheds light on the cultural factors that prevent fathers from taking advantage of working parents policies like family leave and flexible scheduling. The researchers conclude that adjusting workplace culture to support parenting choices benefits all employees, as well as the bottom line.

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Employers are increasingly finding ways to meet the needs of working fathers, offering them family leave, flexible scheduling, and affordable child care options. But fathers remain reluctant to take full advantage of this support, despite professing to want to be equal partners with mothers in child care, with all the diapering, meal planning, and carpooling that entails. In our research on family leave policies and parenting culture in Scotland, we heard repeatedly that fathers felt worried and even embarrassed to use offered leave and flexible working entitlements.

Our analysis estimates that about 78% of Scottish fathers take some leave after the birth of a child, but only 18% take more than a couple of weeks. And that means 22% do not take any time at all. Low-income fathers are even less likely to take meaningful time off, fearing how deeply unpaid or reduced-pay time off would impact their family’s financial survival. We estimate that only 43% of those in the bottom income quintile take any leave after their child is born.

Employers may think that this is the best-case scenario: They reap the social benefits of offering (at times) generous arrangements for working parents, but they avoid the cost of unplanned absences. But when fathers don’t take leave, it costs the company. Our research suggests that companies with higher participation in programs designed to support working parents have higher employee retention and job satisfaction, both factors that balance out the cost of offering fatherhood benefits.

Supporting Fathers in the Workplace

Our research team at the University of Edinburgh analyzed data from Growing up in Scotland, a longitudinal survey designed to generate population estimates by tracking the lives of thousands of young children through childhood. We also conducted in-depth interviews with fathers of young children in dual-earner couples and conducted an audit of the benefits employers offer. We wanted to better understand what prevents fathers from succeeding as working parents and how companies might help them overcome the challenges.

Many of the fathers in our study wanted to actively parent their children, but they felt that they were able to do so only when their colleagues supported their choices. The reality in many organizations is that expectations for female and male employees are still vastly different. While many organizations have programs to support young mothers — offering them mentoring, back-to-work schemes, and maternity replacement cover — this support intent is typically not available to new fathers. As such, fathers are worried about what it might mean for their career prospects if they go against what is normal in their workplace.

We also heard from many fathers who worried that taking paternity leave would be a significant financial burden. We found that in the absence of well-paid family leave, fathers would instead take paid vacation time, therefore taking much less leave to spend time with their children than they would be legally entitled to. Fathers with higher incomes were both less concerned and more likely to take leave, but fathers with lower incomes had very real worries about how their family would survive if they took unpaid, or low-paid, time off.

Fathers who felt that their employers supported them as parents — with flexible work schedules, financial and social support during family leave, and other allowances — were more likely to be engaged with their jobs and to stay in them longer than they may have otherwise. Mirroring research in the U.S., the fathers we interviewed said that these parenting perks provided a stronger incentive to stay with the company than increased salary did. These positive benefits are lost, though, when fathers don’t take the leave that their employers offer.

What Can Be Done

Workplace culture has to be such that fathers feel that they can use their benefits without harming their career prospects. A number of policies can help with this, including making sure fathers have adequate coverage of their job responsibilities, as companies routinely provide to new mothers on maternity leave, and insuring that individual line managers support a father’s efforts to combine work and family life. Fathers need time to attend antenatal appointments, time off for dependents in the case of emergency or sickness, and the right to request flexible working. These don’t have to be strict policies. Finding out who is on the school run, and arranging meetings and events accordingly, is a simple step that can reap benefits for all.

Employers who aren’t offering paid family leave may be choosing not to do so because they worry that it could be too expensive. Our research suggests that costs may balance out because of the boost in staff engagement and retention. The good news is that employers should experience a double benefit from supporting fathers in the workplace: In addition to attracting and retaining talented fathers, they also create opportunities for mothers. As working fatherhood becomes normalized, women are less often penalized for the ways they seek flexible work arrangements to handle childbirth and child care. Because of this, firms with strong policies and cultures supporting working parents should see their gender pay gaps lessen.